Story by Mat Lee

At some conferences I cover, a number of extractor booths seem to be all about “bigger is better.” In most cases—at least for commercial applications—it is; but that doesn’t mean we can’t also have something cute and effective to play around with in our spare time. I believe that’s where the OCO Labs SuperC fits. They say that the SuperC is the world’s smallest CO2 extractor. They are right.

Are you sick and tired of using the large CO2 extractor at work for extractions that are less than an ounce? What about less than four ounces? Put it all together into something that will eventually live on my writing desk when I’m a curmudgeonly old man.

Let’s take a look at what makes the OCO Labs SuperC so cool, and so small. First of all, the guys behind OCO Labs have over 30 years of experience working with CO2 and other compressed gases. That’s probably why they were able to build the technology in house that allows the unit to be so tiny. Plus, once you consider what it does for the amount of money you’ll spend to buy one, it’s kind of impressive.

For $3,200 you can get the main unit, which is capable of running an ounce. For an extra $2,800 you can get the expansion set, which will increase the capacity to four ounces. Add in a tank of CO2 and you’re off to the races, as they say.

You’ll also need coconut oil to use as lubricant on the seals. The majority of the maintenance needed to keep the extractor up and running smoothly is demonstrated on videos that can be found here on Vimeo.

Most businesses in the extraction industry have started with large scale systems first and then scaled their designs down as far as possible. OCO Labs used the opposite approach on their mission to create the world’s smallest C02 extractor by designing their system from the bottom up.

They say the SuperC is affordable and designed for use by the layperson. These extractors are an example of what can be designed through small scale manufacturing and engineering processes to make extraction a little safer. This is definitely for the home enthusiast. If you are looking for a machine to process larger quantities, the SuperC will not serve that purpose. But I don’t think that’s the market they are trying to reach. They say it’s more of a home extraction, batch testing, and R&D sort of thing.

They also have an interesting add-on called Autopilot, which comes with the four ounce expansion kit and helps automate a large portion of the pressure regulation.

These extractors are designed to be very low maintenance and semi-safe because CO2 is non-flammable and it can process an ounce of material in 90 minutes, starting with low pressure and working up to 4500 psi max while actively decarboxylating during use. One day I’ll have one to play around with in my own personal home lab.

You can purchase an extractor through their website at OcoLabs.com or by calling 503-400-6041. They also have stores in Oregon, Washington, Alaska, California, and Hawaii, if you prefer to do your extractor shopping in person. You can also email them at info@ocolabs.com for more information.